As Shoojit Sircar's family comedy drama Piku gears up for release this Friday , we ask the filmmaker and the stars - Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan - what makes their film and its characters so special and relatable. Here's what they have to say ...

SHOOJIT SIRCAR
The universal connect of Piku lies in the way family bonds and relationships have been depicted. They are at the heart of the film. What makes a relationship between this father and daughter different from the way you have seen it on the silver screen is how freely they talk with one another and how progressive they are, individually and together as a family. Just like in Vicky Donor, the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law was unique and yet real, similarly in this film, we hope that the way we have dealt with different relationships will stand out.

AMITABH BACHCHAN
Piku is about a modern, forward thinking, multitasking, strong, opinionated yet conventional, conservative young girl, daughter to Bhaskor Bannerji, an equally conventional, independent thought-ridden habituated Bengali, being driven by a non-Bengali Rana Chowdhury, on a journey to a finite destination, apparently, but a course driven by discovery at the end.

DEEPIKA PADUKONE
Piku is a very relatable character. Every girl today will identify with what she goes through. Women are always able to multi-task so effortlessly. It's the story of all our lives. Even the situations in the film are so real. I truly believe that there is a Piku in all of us.

IRRFAN
The film will remind you of people you come across in your life. Its simplicity makes it special. What sets it apart from other films in recent times is the tenderness and subtlety of romance between Piku and Rana on the one hand, and on the other, the freshness of a parent-child equation where often roles get reversed, as is the case between Piku and Baba. Everyone will connect with something that this film has to offer.